Cavite-De La Salle tie up for COVID-19 Diagnostic Center

The centre has conducted more than 255,602 tests since 2020, data which was used by the gov’t as a basis to re-open businesses.  

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, De La Salle University Medical Center  (DLSUMC) partnered with the Provincial Government of Cavite (PGC) to open the biggest molecular laboratory in the Philippines - the Cavite-De La Salle COVID-19 Diagnostic Center  (CDCDC). 

This partnership was in quick response to combat the spread of the virus when the entire country went on lockdown. 

For its achievements at a critical time, DLSUMC won the Public-Private Healthcare Partnership of the Year - Philippines by Healthcare Asia Awards 2023. Slated for presentation on March 29,  2023, the awards programme aims to honour hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers that have risen and made a remarkable impact on their patients, especially amidst the massive disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

DLSUMC, a service of De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute (DLSMHSI), is the largest tertiary hospital in Region IV-A committed to providing quality, holistic, and compassionate patient-centred care, and services. The medical centre is integral in  DLSMHSI‘s mission to provide excellent and premium medical research, health professions education, and quality health care to patients. 

CDCDC was the first provincial diagnostic centre for COVID-19 in the country aimed at increasing Cavite’s testing capacity for early detection of positive cases, proper management,  and pandemic response. The establishment of the centre ensured that the province’s 4.3 million citizens received the best testing services. Funding from the provincial government helped construct a state-of-the-art laboratory, the installation of RT-PCR machines and automated extractors, and testing kits. 

Following certification from the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) to perform individual testing for COVID-19 by RT-PCR on May 8, 2020, the centre began receiving COVID-19  specimens from 57 disease-reporting units from various local government health centres across the province of Cavite. 

Capable of conducting 3,000 tests daily, the CDCDC is reportedly the biggest testing laboratory in the country, according to Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla. It is also the first subnational government-accredited laboratory in South Luzon that helped free up the national laboratory,  providing a faster turnaround time for test results. Data from the centre helped health and government authorities in managing mobility and deciding to eventually re-open businesses and healthcare facilities.

To date, the Center has conducted more than 255,602 tests, persistently receiving a very satisfactory rate from clients since it started operations.  

The whole campus was also designated by the government as a certified vaccination site,  playing a vital role in the biggest mass vaccination programme in the country. To continue vaccination services and produce fast and accurate results, the CDCDC team and two dedicated Certified Biosafety Officers regularly train, coordinate, and plan activities with professional societies and the local government’s health offices. 

Following the lifting of COVID-19-related health restrictions, CDCDC has been tasked to be a  Research Hub for emerging diseases to become the Center for Disease Control in Cavite.